Melksham Rail Link

... been running for a week ... here's a log of how it's gone ...

14th Feb 2014

Melksham Rail Link - week 1 / Feedback 10th to 14th February

06:50 and 07:20 from Bowerhill to Melksham Station
Return at 18:05, 18:50 and 19:20 from Melksham Station

Management summary
* Shakey start - only 70% morning journeys completed
* Marketing has reached a lot of people
* Many more people to reach and reach again
* Need to join up / have journeys offered by online planners
* Drivers excellent. And customers love it!

In more detail ...

Monday

06:50 - 1 passenger from Bowerhill / bus diverted and missed much of route
07:20 - bus diverted and missed much of route
18:05 - 1 passenger to Melksham Forest and 1 to Thyme Road
18:50 - no passengers
19:20 - one passenger to Melksham Town Centre and 1 to Melksham Spa

Friday
06:50 - 1 passenger from Falcon Way, 1 passenger from Mitchell Way, 1 passenger from Melksham Spa
07:20 - service failed to run (vehicle failure)

Publicity has gone out via the Bowerhill Villager, door to door, and (yesterday) in the Melksham Independent News. We have also boosted a post on Facebook, left leaflets with the TIC^▸ , and with Melksham Town Hall. Leaflets were handed to people getting off the train on Monday evening, and it's planned to do the same this evening.

The drivers we have spoken to are all very positive and customer oriented, and they are a real asset that can help make this work. However, with just 70% of morning services running their full route (and I'm assuming that the ones that I haven't had reports for actually ran), I fear that people will have followed the publicity, turned up and then been put off.

The litertaure drop we did has reached people / is being talked about and has lead to some of the early passenger uses. However, there's evidence that we should spread the literature drop wider / perhaps repeat; Our Campion Drive user (via The Spa stop) for example found out about the service from friends on the next estate and felt that her area would benefit too. And speaking with contacts near Semington Road (NOT a target on the route) those who are local transport aware would like to have been informed / filled in. There's a further discussion to have here; I see little point in going TOO far off the route with the literature.

Also to note - this week has been awful weather, with First Great Western's advise to potential travellers being to only travel is absolutely necessary - and it's pretty hard for us locally to go against that advise. Business wise, FGW^▸ 's advise has cost us dear with customers being put off their journeys to Melksham - especially gauling as the local train has been running fine, and there was been perfectly adequate daytime connections. So we've realy been selling and marketing against ourselves.

Checking with ConnectingWiltshire, who we would love to include in our marketing, the journey planner is still failing to offer the Melksham Rail Link bus (I am offered journeys from The Spa to Swindon that take from 1 hour and 20 minutes up, rather that just under the hour; 2 of the 3 offered include a bus to Chippenham and a walk across the town there). Journey check planner does not report prices, but I do know that the journeys it suggests would not only be slower but would cost you more if you tried them.

It is good to see that the Melksham Rail Link bus timetable has appeared on ConnectingWiltshire as a link ...
http://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Melksham-rail-bus-timetable.pdf
which is great; as this is a link with a primary intent to connect with trains, I feel it would be really helpful if it showed the times that connecting trains arrive in key commuter destinations such as Bristol and Swindon, and also London connection times. If changes are being made ;-) ... "Weatherspoons" should read "Wetherspoons" and a map / diagram would be helpful, as many residents are unsure of the names of some of the newer roads such as Thyme Road and Skylark Road.

Some signage coming to bus stops - (Thank you, Phil!) and more would be welcome. "Wasn't sure if it stopped here" was a reaction I got this morning ... from a stop not yet marked, and it's good advertising to other users of the bus stops.

Ongoing plans / thoughts ...

a) Once the journey planner offers the new service, it will be a great promotion tool. And the Wiltshire Council / bus map planned for Melksham will be a huge help

b) Further marketing / door to door once the "Travel Advisories" that we're fighting against have been withdrawn. Coering wider areas

c) A sanity review on reliability. Just 70% of services running in the first week is not good; I would like to see a target of well over 95%, as I fear that any lower people will be put off.

d) Further editorial in the "Bowerhill Villager" and keep pressing the story in the Melksham News.

e) BBC^» Radio Wilthshire invite one morning / other sales pitched in that way.

Come Spring... lots more newsletters, marketing plans, etc, on the leisure side. For commuters ... can we get a bit banner alongside the A350 ;-) ??